Intertwining Destinies
by Lady Maria
Summary: Crossover with both The Sentinel and Joan of Arcadia. One difference in how things played out can cause everything to change. Revamped story as of 114 05. New chapters added, and old chapters have been fleshed out.
1. Prologue

_Title: Intertwining Destinies_

_Disclaimer: I do not own BtVS, The Sentinel, or Joan of Arcadia. Other people—among them Petfly and Joss—do._

_Author's note: I started this well over a year ago. It started out being utterly flippant, but I've decided to try and flesh it out. More chapters preface the original first chapter, and original chapters have had everything from little things changed to large things. It'll be beneficial for everyone to reread the story again. And maybe you could review? I like reviews. Also—please make note of the fact that this is AU. VERY AU!!_

Helen Girardi and her twin sister, Joyce Summers, were close even into adulthood. They'd gotten married on the same day and had their children reasonably close together (except for Dawn; she was a total surprise). Until Joyce's eldest, Buffy, was in the fourth grade, however, the Summers family had lived in Sacramento. Then they moved to L.A., where the Girardi family made their home.

Regardless of how much distance separated them, they got together for every holiday, birthday, and for most special events. The adults enjoyed talking to each other and would later get together as often as they could. The children, however, separated by whether or not they were siblings. Even when the two families were in the same city, with the kids attending the same schools, the children never really communicated. It was tradition.

Buffy was six when the tradition started. Before that, it had just been her and Kevin against Joan and Luke. Luke was a loner even as a toddler so it was really just her and Kev against little Joan. Later, Joan wouldn't remember those days very well but they were memories that would set the stage for more than one caper involving the oldest two cousins.

Then, when baby Dawn was a year old, Faith came. She was Joan's age and Buffy's new sister. At first, she'd clung to Buffy and tried to avoid Joan and Kevin at all costs. Looking back, Buffy figured that that was what originally created the rift.

As Dawn got older, the rift grew. The youngest Summers child was born a prankster and this trait started manifesting itself as early as her second birthday. She had launched a projectile missile (or rather, a rather large chunk of chocolate cake) straight at Luke who had had his back turned at the time. The four year old budding genius was not thrilled.

By the time that Buffy was a sophomore in high school, the rift between the Girardi siblings and their cousins, the Summers girls, had widened into a gaping chasm the size of the Grand Canyon.

Faith and Joan hadn't said more than ten words to each other in a decade. That included their fifth grade year when their teacher thought it would be nice to pair everyone in the class off with 'like-minded students.' Three days of stony silence later, she'd been forced to ask the two brunettes why they weren't talking to each other. Joan's explanation was simple. "We don't talk to each other, Ms. Cheverly. We never have and never will."

Faith's response was a great deal pithier due to trailing after her 'perfect' sister for most of her life. This was the same older sister that hung out with the tough crowd when no one was watching.

Faith got an out of school suspension, and Ms. Cheverly never paired the two cousins up again.

The only time Luke really noticed that he even had cousins was when Dawn was playing tricks on him. Eventually, he played jokes on her as well. That didn't start happening until he was about ten or eleven and she was eight or nine.

Out of the three girls, Kevin really only talked to or tormented Buffy. They'd been close as kids, and though they grew apart, there was a bit of them that would always be friends. And even more than that, cousins.

But time changes everything and everyone. Chasms can be bridged and blood never really weakens. It strengthens over time, but never weakens.

More so than anything, death changes things. One drunken driving accident changed everything.

It resulted in ten deaths.

It tore two Slayers away from their destiny, away from the Hellmouth. It took them away from their 'gift.'

It took a young girl away from an early death and a life of watching people she cared for die.

It changed a young genius into a young genius who happened to be a Sentinel.

It forced a young athlete to choose to do something else with his life. It took his ability to walk and he was just a bit too stubborn to return to sports in a wheelchair.

It set God's chosen messenger on a very different path.

And it changed a Sentinel and Guide pair into parent figures.


	2. The phone call

The call woke Rupert Giles from a sound sleep. In fact, if he wasn't so used to Buffy calling him in a panic, he would never have answered the phone at all.

"Hello?" The greeting came out slightly garbled.

He wasn't expecting the response. "Giles, the cops called yesterday. And then the social worker came and I just now managed to convince her to let me call someone. I told her that prisoners get one phone call, and I'm not a prisoner so I should be able to make as many phone calls as I want. She said that by the same logic, she didn't have to let me make any at all and…" His Slayer's string of babble died away into gasping sobs.

"Buffy, what did the police tell you?" He chose to start with the first thing she'd said.

"They said…" she gasped for air, "They said…" more sobs, "there'd been an accident." The last word was a wail.

"What type of accident?" Something told him that he wasn't going to like the response.

"A car accident," she barely managed to get the words out. "In L.A. Some stupid kid got plastered and a little high, and then…" She paused to get her emotions under control. "A pile up, the officer said. A stupid pile up and I thought the worst. Only…It was worse than my worst could have been."

She was crying again, and Giles could feel a horrible suspicion forming. "What happened?" He wanted to say more, but he had the feeling that someone was listening in on their conversation.

"My mom…she went to the art show, remember?" He could feel his stomach greet his feet at that moment. "She was driving back…" Her voice broke.

"Dear Lord." His slayer was unconventional; that was how he knew this loss had the potential to break her.

"That's not all, Giles." She finally pulled herself together, too conscious of her younger cousin watching her. She had to be strong, she reminded herself.

"I want it to be more than coincidence. I don't believe in coincidence," she whispered. "But it's just the luck of the draw, isn't it? My mom's…" she choked again before reminding herself to be strong. "She's gone, and Aunt Helen and Uncle Will…They were driving back to their house…"

"Aunt Helen and Uncle Will," he repeated. "That would be your mother's twin sister and her husband…they also…" He wasn't any more certain he could say it. "They also…died?"

She watched Luke again; he was scribbling something on a piece of paper. For all she knew, she was watching another Einstein at work. "Yeah, G-Man."

"Don't call me that." For some reason, her attempt at levity actually worked. "Why call me?"

"They said a family member or close family friend could take care of us, all of us including my cousins, until the will is read and a permanent guardian is decided."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."


	3. Giles's Chronicle

I have kept a chronicle for most of my life. Two chronicles to be precise. One is the record of my private life and one is the Slayer's Chronicle that every watcher keeps.

This is the only the second time I have ever recorded something in both.

My Slayers' mother died three nights ago, and tonight their cousin found out about vampires. There was this broken look in Joan's eyes…It's the same look I've seen in all three of her cousins' eyes.

As it is, none of them are dealing with the tragedy very well…they have appointments to visit a local psychologist within the next few days and they'll be going to visit Joan's brother in the hospital.

I hate the powers.

Rupert Giles, Watcher to Buffy and Faith Summers


	4. Tragic coincidence

_A/N: My sister is going to fucking be dancing in the streets. Correction, dancing on an airstrip. I've moved on from my normal crossovers…which she can't stand. shakes head I sooo love my twin. Really, I do._

_Well, I don't own Joan of Arcadia, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or The Sentinel (although my sister wishes she owned Blair and I kinda wish I owned Daryl, but we're getting off the subject.) Also, ummm…if you aren't familiar with Joan or Buffy, don't worry. I'm kinda tweaking them a bit. _

Nearly a month later, someone else was having a reaction similar to Giles's to the news.

"Joyce?" Jim Ellison asked in a tone of pure disbelief. It had been years since he'd talked to her, let alone seen her. "Aunt Joyce is dead?!"

The lawyer bit his lip before sharing a pained glance with the social worker. He'd known Joyce Summers for several years and knew how much she still cared for her oldest nephew/best childhood friend. "I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Ellison. However, Joyce left you custody of her three daughters and everything she owned. Her sister, Helen Girardi and Helen's husband, William, also died that night."

"Aunt Helen and Aunt Joyce died on the same night?" Jim hadn't been so close to crying in years.

Joyce and Helen were his father's half sisters, the product of an affair his grandfather had had just a year or so before he was born. He may not have been close to William Ellison growing up, but it's rather hard not to be close to people who are only a few years older than you. Although, it was rather surprising that the three had ended up being such good friends after Jim turned six. After all, before then, he was constantly snatching his aunts' Barbie dolls and beheading them. Well, sometimes. Some of those fashions though…

"Yes. In the event that both Helen and Will died together or at least both died before their children had reached legal age, they had appointed Joyce as their children's guardian. Since she also died in the same pile up, you gain custody."

"And how many cousins do I have from Aunt Helen?" Jim asked nervously. He was inwardly cursing his childhood playmates. They had to go and die on him so close together!

They got engaged at the same time, got married at the same time, and had the same number of children. They also lost their first teeth on the same day, frequently lost their keys at the same time, and had even lost their virginity within an hour of each other. (That was a fact he'd always wished they hadn't shared with him.)

Now they had to die on the same day. Hadn't those two ever heard of identical twins often times being totally dissimilar? And they were technically fraternal twins, even if their father's housekeeper had always dressed them alike. Why, oh fucking why, did they have to be so damn alike?

"Three. The oldest, Kevin, is seventeen. Joan is fourteen, and Luke is thirteen. Joyce's girls are also around those ages. Buffy recently turned sixteen, Faith is fourteen, and Dawn is just past her eleventh birthday," the social worker, Amelia Birdsong, told the shell shocked detective. "All six will be flying in on the next plane from L.A. It arrives in seven hours."

Jim stared at her in open disbelief. "You're telling me that I have to figure out where to put five teenagers and one preteen in about six hours, since it'll take an hour to get into the airport and fight security. How insane are you, Ms. Birdsong?"

"I'm not insane," she responded stiffly. "It simply took a while to locate you."

"There aren't that many James Ellisons in Cascade, Washington! I'm fairly positive that I'm the only one." And then he glanced at her. "I'm a cop, ma'am, and it surprises me that you're just allowing me to take these kids when I live in a two bedroom apartment and am an unmarried man. Care to tell me why?"

"I'll be making a visit in two weeks," she said finally. "Depending on what I find at that time, the department may feel that the children would not benefit from your care."

"You were just going to spring a surprise visitation on me, weren't you?"

And somehow, she figured it was safest for her sanity if she didn't answer that.

The social worker and lawyer then found themselves standing speechlessly outside the loft as the irate detective went to call the realtor, and Blair in that order.

Several minutes later, the Bullpen was treated to an interesting conversation overheard from Blair's speakerphone.

"We're moving."

"Hello?" Blair looked apprehensively at the phone.

"We're moving," Jim repeated. Honestly, Blair could be so thick.

"Jim, is that you?"

"Who else would it be? We're moving."

"Why?"

"Because you can't expect eight people to cram into a two bedroom loft for more than…" he paused for a minute, "Well, Dawn graduates in six years, so six years. Besides, I don't want Joyce and Helen's kids thrust into the system."

"You're making no sense, man."

"We've got six kids."

That was the point where Simon suspiciously started cough.

"We've what?" If Blair had been singing opera, he would have hit the hi C.

"You'll meet them tonight," he was told. "Bye."

"Jim? Jim, man, what are…"…click… Turning to the listening Bullpen, he looked about ready to kill his partner.

"He hung up on me," he whined.

_A/N: I'm trying to go through and flesh this story out. As past readers will remember, this was a long chapter originally and the start of the story. I've broken the chapter down, added a few details that should have been there from the beginning and changed the ages to reflect some parts of the shows correctly. But please remember that this is still an AU._


	5. Airplanes and first meetings

Joan Girardi hadn't been so pissed off since her mother had suggested she try out for the cheerleading squad. "We don't even know this so-called cousin of ours. How do we know that he's not some evil axe murderer or something?"

Her youngest cousin, Dawn Summers, nodded her agreement. "Yeah. There are six of us. You'd think that one of us would have seen a picture of this James Ellison."

"And a girl would think you'd all have something else to do than worry over our cousin being an axe murderer," Buffy Summers groaned. "Kevin, do you agree with them?"

Her eldest cousin looked up from his book with an expression of muted pain. It tore at her heart, but they'd all found out already that he didn't want painkillers. Moreover, talking about 'it' was just as forbidden. "No, I'm actually surprising myself by agreeing with you."

"Ooo, B got dissed!" Faith Summers crowed.

"Will you all shut up?" Luke Girardi asked, looking up from what looked like one big assed book. "I can't read Plato's theories on how the universe should run if you're all running your mouths!"

"You are such a nerd," Buffy laughed. "Besides, aren't his theories severely outdated? Why aren't you like reading Galileo's theories on how the universe really is? His and Copernicus' are the more relevant ones and they make more sense to modern man."

Her sisters and cousins turned to stare at her. Each of them had always found her slightly flaky, not in a bad way, but still flaky. Luke finally managed to speak up. "You know something about science and philosophy?"

"I'm not as dumb as I look," she sniffed. Looking at her relatives, she laughed. She loved confusing people like this. "I didn't ace biology because of my looks. And I didn't manage to pull As and Bs in all my classes even though I couldn't always make them because I needed the grades to graduate. Jocks can sometimes ride like that, but even if they offered that to cheerleaders, I wouldn't have taken it. I didn't need to."

Kevin flinched like he'd been shot. "Buffy, not every athlete slides like that."

"And did I say that?" she growled. "No, I said sometimes they ride. Note the use of the word sometimes."

"Oh." He sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just that…" His voice trailed off. He wasn't coping much better than anyone else, no matter how much they were hiding under their masks of bravado. Actually, he was handling it the worst of all.

Buffy stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out whether big sister mode or concerned friend mode was better. Finally, she decided on a combination of little sister and big sister. "Kev, we're all confused, mixed up, and downright pissed off at the moment. Granted, you were the only one actually in the damn accident, but we're all affected. And not only am I rambling, I'm about to cry too." She batted at the tears with the back of her hand.

Her cousin lifted his pain filled gaze to meet hers. "It's just…I've always been the jock, Buffy. The oldest one everyone can look up to. And Mom and Dad were invincible. Now they're dead and I'm trapped."

She blinked back the tears again, knowing that he felt far worse about everything than she did. He'd been at a friend's grad party that night, and everyone had been drinking, including his ride. So he'd called his parents to come pick him up and they were on their way home when a drunk driver had caused the fourteen car pile up.

What made his guilt even greater was the fact that his ride had caused the accident. Mackey Rincon, the football player who had driven drunk, had walked away without a single scratch. However, twenty-two other people had died there, and more than thirty others had been injured in some way. Kevin had been one of the most severely injured, lingering in a coma for five days.

When he did finally awaken, it was to the news that his parents and aunt were dead, and he'd never walk again. He'd been struggling with guilt for the three and half weeks since. Well, when he didn't have to suffer through physical therapy, which he'd be continuing once they got settled in.

Her tone was gentle but still firm when she spoke again. "We're about there. We're starting a new life, where no one knows much past our name and most won't even know that. They don't know that I burnt down the high school gym during my freshman year, or that my father used to play mind games with me. They don't know that you feel guilt over the accident, even though it wasn't your fault. Hell, Kevin, I heard about what happened at that damn party. You were the only one who hadn't even touched a beer. It's not fair that the accident happened, and you were paralyzed. It's not fair that we lost our parents. Then again, a lot of shit ain't fair."

Watching her older cousin, Joan had to wonder when she'd gotten so damn wise. When they'd been forced into family dinners as children, Buffy had always been…flighty. Yeah, flighty was a good description. "Hey, hate to butt into the conversation, but we're almost there. You might want to get ready for landing."

"Thanks, cuz." The look Buffy flashed her was full of warmth and made her look like a normal sixteen year old. Otherwise, there were shadows there that hadn't been there when she'd lived in L.A.

"It's all good," Joan shrugged.

Luke, meanwhile, was looking out at the Cascade Airport. "What do you think that he's like?"

Faith was the first to answer. "I dunno; none of us do. He probably isn't an axe murderer at least, but other than that, I can't help you, kid."

"I'm not that much younger than you," he pouted.

"Chronologically, you may only be a year younger than Fay and three younger than me," Buffy told him, starting to gather their things, "but we've both seen things you never will. We've seen more than most people would ever think of, even in their worst nightmares. Things like that age a person far more than the passing years."

"What was so bad about a hick town in the middle of no where?" Kevin asked.

"It didn't earn its nickname of Sunnyhell by being nice." Dawn threw her backpack over her shoulder as she stood up.

"Sunnyhell?" questioned Joan as she too prepared to stand. They were waiting for the end of the people getting off so that they could. After all, they had two strikes working against them. For one thing, they were all minors. And for another, Kevin had to be helped into one of the airport wheelchairs. None of them were even discussing how stupid it was to check a wheelchair in as luggage.

"You'll understand one day," Buffy told her, knowing it deep within her soul. For just a minute, however, she hoped that it would never come to pass. She didn't want Joan to lose her innocence. "Look, does anyone know how we're going to know who this dude is?"

"Ooo! Ooo!" Dawn was hopping from one foot to the other in the middle of the runway, waving her hand enthusiastically. "I have an idea!"

"And what is this idea?" Kevin asked. "And honestly, put your hand down. Not only are you not in school at the moment, this is a runway, honey. I think that the pilots might get the wrong impression."

"Oops," she blushed, doing as she was told. "Maybe he'll have a sign. They always do on T.V."

"I just knew you were addicted to Lifetime movies, D." Faith was thoroughly enjoying the fact that her sister had yet to stop blushing.

"Shut up!"

"Make me, little sister."

"Will both of you chill?" the blonde snapped in annoyance. In reality, she wasn't as annoyed as she sounded but a big sister had to take a stand on some things. Scanning the area, she spotted it. "Guys, I think that would be our cousin."

"Who?" Luke asked, finally looking up from Plato.

"The guy who's holding the sign reading, 'Summers and Girardi children" she answered. "Duh!"

Forming a bunch around Buffy and Kevin, the cousins walked over.

Dawn, who had never learned tact, immediately said, "We're your cousins. Are you an axe murderer?"

Jim couldn't help it. He chuckled. "No, just a detective. You're Dawn?"

"Yeah." Coming face to face with her greatest fear—that their guardian was evil—and finding out that it was just a fear, was a relief.

"Hello, I'm Buffy," the blonde told him coldly. Hazel eyes locked with blue and held them, judging what they saw there. A small smile worked its way across her face. "I'm pleased to meet you."

"Yo, I'm Faith. You got any experience with teenagers?"

"Not really." He managed to sound reasonably calm. After years of dealing with Daryl's friends, he knew that he couldn't sound nervous. Teens fed off of the fear. They were like little vultures. No, more like piranhas.

"Then you're getting a hell of a crash course," Luke grinned. His grin slipped the moment that Jim caught sight of Kevin. They had all hoped that the lawyer had told their new guardian, but he obviously hadn't. Jim was far too shocked to have had warning.

"Guess you're sending me back," Kevin stated. For the five not in the accident, the night after the accident was spent in an emergency foster home until the social workers could find a family friend to place them with and they'd told Kevin about it. He already knew that the system would be hell.

"Why would I do that?" Jim asked levelly. "If you say it's because you're a freak, I will turn you over to Blair. Considering what he's done every time I use that word, I don't even want to know what he'd do to you."

"You're not sending Kev back?" Joan spoke up, worry working itself through her voice.

"No. It just means that we have to find another place faster."

"Huh?" was the only thing coming from Dawn's lips.

"The elevator in the apartment building only works when it wants to and we live on the third floor. Anyway, our apartment is only a two bedroom loft."

Buffy picked up on the 'we' and 'our' rather quickly. She wasn't the oldest of three girls for nothing, and the past had made her that much more observant. "You have a wife?"

"A roommate," was Jim's simple reply before laughing. "Blair is going to kill me when I show up with you six."

"Why will she?" Luke questioned.

Jim finally stopped laughing as they approached the baggage claim but a smile still lingered. "He will kill me because I didn't exactly tell him anything when I called him at work."

He didn't even notice the knowing glance the girls exchanged amongst themselves.


	6. Buffy's sounding board

Dear Diary,

We're going house hunting tomorrow. I understand the need for it and all, but I want my mother. I don't want Jim and Blair. I don't want my cousins. I feel like a five year old, but I WANT MY MOMMY!!!!

It isn't fair! A terrible coincidence (and other than this one, I still don't believe in coincidences) has turned our lives upside down. Mom is…I don't want to say was, but I have to, don't I? Anyway, Mom is…was the center of our lives. In our tangled lives, she is…was our Rock of Gibraltar. I can't even cry over it because I have to be the strong oldest girl. Strong one period, since we all know that Kev's seriously messed up. I wish I could kill that stupid drunk driver. He wrecked our homes, our families. He even wrought havoc in our confidence and sense of selves. Sorry, I'm parroting what the shrink that the social worker made each of see said.

They say that most girls are Daddy's girls. I never have been. Maybe it's because Hank is such an asshole. Maybe I just have more in common with my mom than that sneaky, low-down, rotten filth who likes to masquerade as a nice, approachable lawyer.

Can I gag yet? I hate him, you know. I hate how he used to bully all of us and I hate that we let him. I hate that he nearly destroyed Mom. I just used 'I hate' too many times to make this entry even mediocre writing, correct?

Who cares? If they ever find this diary, I'll be dead. That is, if I can figure out how Faith and I will keep Slaying. How is that I can't even figure out how we're going to do our calling?

I don't want her to have an early death sentence. Fay wouldn't if it weren't for the Slayer-that-never-got-the-chance-to-be-a-Slayer. Okay, her name was Kendra. A demon attacked her the night the Master drowned me. Current guess is that the Slayer Spirit entered her for just a moment and then she died. If she hadn't passed this death sentence onto my sister, I think I would feel sorry for her.

Whom am I kidding? Wait, is it who or whom? This is why I leave this diary writing crap to Wills. She's smart. Me, I'm just the damn brawn. I accept that. Really, I do.

…Okay, I don't. I am smart. I really am. I just don't attend many classes anymore. I don't have time to Slay, sleep, and attend classes on a regular basis. Now that we're going to be living with this mysterious cousin of ours, however, I have the feeling that that's going to change.

Mom was always my sounding board. Granted, I couldn't tell her of the war the high school students started after the Harvest. She was still there for the petty problems. I wonder how the war will fair without the Slayers. Will the Darkness take Sunnydale?

I don't think it will, but I'm just a teenager. Mom would have said that my opinion counts too, but I'm not so sure. After all, I inadvertently caused the war.

I didn't mean to, you know. I was just trying to protect everyone from what was going down. And then here comes Xander and Willow. We ended up opening the eyes of the other kids at the Bronze that night. I had more than one come up to me that night and the next day at school asking if they could help. I didn't want to let them help, but it was easier to train them to fight than let them try on their own and die. That's what Ms. Calendar told Giles when she came and asked if she could help. Turned out she's some type of Gypsy.

…I keep apologizing to Xander and Willow. I dragged them into this mess, and their friend died. Xander never said it, but I think he had to stake Jesse. /sigh/ Willow told me once that Xander and Jesse used to play in the same playpen.

Some war it is. A grand total of somewhere around nine hundred high school students, ages 14 to 18, fighting for their town. So far, we've won against everything Hell's thrown at us. My sitch with the Master was touch and go but we ended up winning that too.

We still have a body count though. Sometimes I don't think that will ever change. I think that that's going—I'll continue this later. Kev's upset over something and I think he's in pain major.

May the Powers save me from stubborn, stupid, and emotionally-fucked up teenage boys.

Later,

Buffy Summers

_A/N: This is just something that I'll continue between the real chapters. I think that it might be helpful for everyone to understand where each of the characters are coming from. _

_Also, this is a poll. Should the title of this fic stay the same or should I revert back to the original title of Children? My sister likes that one, which was the working title but I kinda like this one. So it's up to you as the **awesome, awesome reviewers** to decide the fate of our sibling squabble._


End file.
